Sputnik International
By Ilya Tsukanov
Iran seized the errant tanker on Thursday after it slammed into an Iranian fishing boat and attempted to flee the scene a day earlier.
The US military has confirmed that Iranian forces have seized the Advantage Sweet, a Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker chartered by Chevron carrying crude oil from Kuwait to Texas.
“Advantage Sweet was seized by the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy while transiting international waters in the Gulf of Oman. The oil tanker issued a distress call during the seizure. US 5th Fleet is monitoring the situation,” CENTCOM said in its statement.
CENTCOM commander Michael ‘Erik’ Kurilla said the tanker’s detention was a violation “of the international rules-based order” by Iran, and claimed that the Islamic Republic’s “behavior” “places the security and stability of the Middle East at risk.”
